Sugar-Free for a Year – What I learned

A while back I wrote a post about being sugar-free for a month. Some time has passed since I wrote it. And being honest here, unfortunately, a little while after writing this post I got back to my old habits of eating sugar and well, not so healthy. I gained all the weight that I lost and some. I got back to being negative and feeling down most of the time. And l didn’t move forward, I just was.

A year ago, I decided that I really need to take my life in my hands and knew that the first thing to do was to change my eating habits. But I knew that this time it had to be in a different way.

The most important thing that was missing in the first round was a supportive environment! I did it by myself, I didn’t have rules, I just rolled with the idea and went with it. Then after a while, I started cheating. It got harder and harder and the lack of an environment that talks the same language was missing.

This time around I started the journey in an organized group that was led by a dietitian. It was a 30 days sugar-free challenge in which they told us exactly what we can and cannot eat, how much, and gave us weekly menus. We had a private FB group in which we could ask questions, add our own recipes and share our winnings and problems. The first two weeks, I won’t lie, were hard!! I was hungry and tired, and I just wanted to eat chocolate all the time. But I didn’t give up. And I am so happy I didn’t because it got much easier later.

After the first two weeks, it gets much easier. The need for sweets disappears almost completely. I also reduced the number of curbs and ate much less. I started to see results in my weight and the way I was feeling.

One of the most amazing things that happened in that process was the way my brain was reacting. I used to be a person who always thought of bad and negative thoughts. Especially about myself. I started to feel more positive about everything as the weeks went by. It was like a fog was clearing from my brain. I could see things in another light. The feeling was amazing (and still is). This was the most needed results of all. My mind was so bad in the way that it dealt with negative thoughts and the way that it changed and the way that now I can think more positively, blew my mind.

When the challenge ended I was 4.5 kg (10 pounds) thinner and a much happier person. I felt that I took control of my life again. The food didn’t manage me anymore, but I managed it. I wasn’t obsessing about food all the time and searching what to eat next. I got into a routine of eating healthy and that was a life-changing experience.

So, I knew when the challenge ended that I am continuing the sugar-free habit and sticking to it. I now knew what to eat and how much. I knew what to check when I am going shopping. I knew that if I want to continue feeling the way I was feeling I had to keep this up. And I did.

I am now one year later. Still continuing with the sugar-free thing. I lost 15 kg (33 pounds) in total. There are moments in life that I allow myself something sweet – but it must be a very special date or going on a trip abroad. And when I do I don’t binge, but only take one bite.

Here are some of the things that I learned from a year with no sugar:

A supportive environment is essential.

Sugar affects our brain more than we realize.

Food can be tasty without sugar.

Building a routine help keep the results longer.

For me, it was so much more than losing weight. It was about feeling better, getting more energy and clearing my mind. It was about taking the control of my life back into my hands. For me, it was the food where I felt I needed to start, for others it might be something else. After a year, seeing all the changes that I’ve gone through I can say with all of my heart that I made the right decision.

In this year after changing my healthy habits and getting my mental health also in order in that process, I also changed my career. I felt that there is so much in me that I learned in the past few years and now I want others to make changes in their life. I am now a life and effectiveness coach. I cannot believe how many things and changes happened in this year and I do believe the removing sugar from my menu had a big impact on that.

If you have any questions about the process of giving up sugar or anything else about my changes you can ask me in the comments below.

If you want you can also enjoy the opportunity of a free one-hour coaching call that I am offering – all the details are here